Plan orientation template

ABSTRACT

A collaboration tool is presented for accurately guiding two or more communicating users to reference common locations in similar but separate architectural drawings. The collaboration tool includes a transparent planar sheet having at least one squared corner, and a grid of squares imposed on at least one side of the transparent sheet. The grid of squares has an X axis and a Y axis originating from the at least one square corner. Each square in the grid of squares is associated with a unique X-axis designator and a unique Y-axis designator. The apparatus further includes an aperture provided within each square of the grid of squares, for allowing a marking instrument therethrough for making a mark at a designated location on an architectural drawing underneath the transparent planar sheet.

BACKGROUND

This document relates to architectural drawings, and more particularlyto a transparent overlay for architectural drawings of plans, to provideusers of such architectural drawings accurate references via thetransparent overlay.

In an initial design, architects create architectural drawings todevelop, explore, and communicate ideas and solutions. The creation ofthe architectural drawings involves recording ideas, recognizingfunctions, and finding new forms and adapting them into an architecturaldesign. Thus, an architectural drawing enables communication between twoor more users (e.g. a designer and a foreman). Furthermore, thearchitectural drawing also helps designers to see and understand thedesign they work with.

The architectural drawings may be any one of presentation drawings,survey drawings, record drawings, working drawings, drafts by drafters,architectural reprographics, computer aided architectural drawings,sketches and blueprints. An exemplary architectural drawing is shown inFIG. 1.

The architectural drawings may represent a plan, such as a floor plan, asite plan, or other drawing, such as an elevation, isometric andaxonometric projections, and detail drawings. The floor plan is ahorizontal section cut through a structure (building). The horizontalsection cut may show walls, windows, doors, other openings and otherfeatures at a particular level of the building. Geometrically, the floorplan is defined as a vertical orthographic projection of an object on ahorizontal plane, with the horizontal plane horizontally cutting throughthe building. The site plan shows the whole context of a building or agroup of buildings. It may show the already existing buildings as wellas the proposed buildings. Within a site boundary, the site planpresents buildings (if any) already existing and those that areproposed, usually as a building footprint; roads, parking lots,footpaths, hard landscaping, trees and planting. The elevation is afront view of the building i.e. a view of the building seen from a side.The isometric and axonometric projections are simple ways ofrepresenting a three dimensional object. Detail drawings characterize asmall part of a construction project at a larger scale, and oftenillustrate how the various components of the architectural drawing fittogether.

Often times, the architectural drawings and the sketches need to bealtered. The alteration in the architectural drawings includes movingobjects in the architectural drawings. FIG. 1 illustrates objects 102,104, 106 and 108 that need to be identified for a number of reasons:work needs to be performed in proximity of the objects 102, 104, 106,.The removal of these objects alters the architectural drawing. In otherexamples, a wall may need to be moved in the architectural drawing. Themovement of the objects may be due to a personal preference, or due tostructural design requirements.

However, when the architectural drawings are altered, the alterationsneed to be communicated to other people in possession with thearchitectural drawing, and who may not be in geographical proximity toeach other. For example, if a particular wall needs to be moved, two ormore people viewing identical architectural drawings may need to locatethat particular wall accurately. The communication is not easy, as thealterations need to be perceived by the receivers of the alterations inan identical way. Therefore, it is hard to know whether two peoplelooking at separate but identical architectural drawings perceive thelocation of objects in the architectural drawing in the same way. Thefirst of the two people may be the structural designer, and the secondof the two people may be a foreman or any other person. There may bemore than two people trying to perceive identical architecturaldrawings.

Difference in perceptions by different people about identicalarchitectural drawings can lead to unwanted costs and wasted of time.For example, when the suggested alterations by the structural designerare inaccurately perceived by the foreman, unwanted monetary and timeloss may occur. The alterations incur materials costs, such as amountlocation of pipes, etc. The loss may include fines, penalties, wastageof employee time, and additional costs.

Furthermore, at times, the architectural drawings may not have a scale(e.g. linear scale representing how much distance is represented by afixed unit of distance on the architectural drawing) displayed with thearchitectural drawing, even if the architectural drawings are madeaccording to scale. Communication of alterations on such architecturaldrawings can lead to further communication errors.

The alterations need to be specified specifically with respect to areference point. The reference point may be changed as per theconvenience of the people using the architectural drawing. During thecommunication, a fixed reference point and the specific alterations needto be communicated to ensure collaboration between the different partiesinvolved with creating and using the altered architectural drawing. Thespecific alterations may include the specific coordinates of thealteration. Examples of specific alterations are illustrated by objects102, 104, 106 and 108 in FIG. 1. Therefore, there is a need to have agrid on a transparent overlay to accurately represent where thealterations are made or need to be made on the architectural drawing.

SUMMARY

This document describes a collaboration tool for accurately guiding twoor more communicating users to reference common locations in similar butseparate architectural drawings.

In one aspect, an apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus includes atransparent planar sheet having at least one squared corner, and a gridof squares imposed on at least one side of the transparent sheet. Thegrid of squares has an X axis and a Y axis originating from the at leastone square corner, and each square in the grid of squares is associatedwith a unique X-axis designator and a unique Y-axis designator. Theapparatus further includes an aperture provided within each square ofthe grid of squares. In a preferred implementation, each aperture has aninternal diameter of 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

In another aspect, an apparatus includes a transparent planar sheethaving at least one squared corner, and a grid imposed on at least oneside of the transparent sheet. The grid has an X axis and a Y axis, bothaxes originating from the at least one square corner. Each square in thegrid is associated with a unique X-axis designator and a unique Y-axisdesignator. The apparatus further includes a ruler imposed on thetransparent sheet for providing a linear scale, and a number ofapertures, each aperture provided in a center of at least a portion ofthe squares of the grid. The apparatus further includes a templatesection provided in an area of the transparent sheet, the templatesection providing a plurality of templates of geometrical shapes.

The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanyingdrawings and the description below. Other features and advantages willbe apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other aspects will now be described in detail with referenceto the following drawings.

FIG. 1 illustrates an architectural drawing with alterations.

FIG. 2 illustrates a transparent planar sheet.

FIG. 3 illustrates how the transparent planar sheet is mapped and putover the architectural drawing.

FIG. 4 illustrates the transparent planar sheet put over the underlyingarchitectural drawing.

Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This document describes a transparent overlay for architecturaldrawings. FIG. 2 illustrates a transparent overlay 200. The transparentoverlay includes a transparent planar sheet 202 having at least onesquared corner, and a grid 203 printed on at least one side of thetransparent sheet. The grid 203 has an X-axis and a Y-axis, eachoriginated from or near the at least one squared corner and each beingsegmented, preferably in uniform increments, to provide a coordinategrid of squares, where each segment is associated with a uniquedesignator. Accordingly, each square of the coordinate grid isassociated with a unique X-axis designator and a unique Y-axisdesignator.

The transparent planar sheet further includes a plurality of apertures204, 208 and 210. One set of apertures may be a set of template shapes204, like geometrical shapes such as squares, circles, triangles, andthe like, or representations of architectural features such as landscapeelements (trees, shrubs, etc.), walls, or other features. Another set ofapertures 208 includes an aperture provided in a center of at least aportion of the squares of the grid. This other set of apertures can be0.5 to 4 millimeters in diameter, and preferably sized to accept a penor pencil point through the aperture to be able to contact and mark anyunderlying architectural drawing at the location of the desiredaperture. Each of the apertures 208 in the squares is likewiseidentifiable by an associated X and Y designator.

In use, the transparent planar sheet, and hence the grid, is overlaid onthe architectural drawing. The transparent planar sheet, and hence thegrid, can be moved around on the architectural drawing to accuratelyreference a location on the architectural drawing.

The transparent planar sheet can be rolled for carrying. The transparentplanar sheer made of transparent, flexible material, such as acetal,acrylic, fluoropolymer, nylon, phenolic, polycarbonate, polyethylene,polypropylene, polysyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or otherthermoplastic polymer. In some implementations, the transparent planarsheet is made of clear transparent heavy duty vinyl. The transparentplanar sheet can be less than 1 mm in thickness, or up to 5 mm thick ormore. The thickness of the transparent planar sheet can be determinedbased on a desired weight of the transparent overlay, i.e. in someinstances it is desirable for the transparent planar sheet to act as a“paper weight” for the underlying architectural drawing.

The transparent planar sheet has a coordinate system depicted or printedon at least one side of the transparent plastic sheet. The coordinatesystem comprises a grid of squares formed of two axes which are markedaccording to a linear scale. The linear scale represents a distancerepresented by a fixed unit of distance on the transparent planar sheet.The two axes are perpendicular to each other. The two perpendicular axesare denoted as X axis and Y axis. The different coordinates on the axesare represented in an increasing order. For example, the X axiscoordinates are X1, X2, X3, X4, and so on. The distance between two Xaxis coordinates that occur next to each other on the plastic sheet isthe same throughout. Similarly, the Y axis coordinates are Y1, Y2, Y3,Y4, and so on. The distance between two Y axis coordinates that occurnext to each other on the transparent planar sheet is the samethroughout.

A grid is created by thin lines perpendicular to both the axes. The thinlines start at the steps X1, X2, X3, X4, and so on, as well as Y2, Y3,Y4, and so on. In some preferred exemplary implementations, the distancebetween increments of either coordinate is 1 inch, and therefore, eachgrid square formed by the grid is a 1 inch×1 inch square. In otherimplementations, the dimensions of each square in the grid may vary.

A linear scale is used to represent distance represented by a fixed unitof distance on the transparent planar sheet. For example, each inch onthe transparent planar sheet may represent 1 meter, or any other value.A ruler 206 that is disposed adjacent to the grid of squares providesthe scale. The ruler 206 is shown along the edge of the transparentplanar sheet, or may be integrated with the grid. In anotherimplementation, a logarithmic scale or an exponential scale may be used,if required. The linear scale is the same as a scale with which thearchitectural drawing has been created.

It is noted that the use of the linear scale may not be necessary if twoor more people communicating with each other are using identicalarchitectural drawings. The two or more people can, via the transparentplanar sheet, determine a reference point and coordinates of a location(on the architectural drawing) being discussed. The reference point onthe transparent planar sheet defines a reference on the architecturaldrawing from where an object is referenced. The coordinates of thelocation are noted using the grid on the transparent planar sheet. Thelocation refers to a location of the object.

As noted earlier, the grid is formed of lines that intersect at rightangles to form squares. A rough estimate may be taken for the locationof a point that lies inside any given square. To avoid rough estimates,when accuracy is desired, the grid may comprise of more detailedincremement markings associated with the square, such as on the linesbordering the square, or within the square itself. A suitable referencepoint can be selected to ensure that the point, whose accurate positionis required, is placed within a square displaying the more detailedmarkings. This enables an accurate estimate, wherever required.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transparent planar sheet can include a number ofapertures 208, with at least one aperture 208 provided within at leastsome of the squares formed by the grid. Each aperture 208 is located ina common region of each square, such as in the center. The apertures 208enable a user to mark the architectural drawing underlying the plasticsheet, without lifting or moving the plastic sheet, on. The aperture ispreferably small i.e. less than 1/16 inch in diameter. In otherimplementations, the diameter of the aperture may be less than ¼ inch.The diameter of the aperture is kept sufficient to allow marking with a0.9 mm pencil.

FIG. 3 illustrates how the transparent planar sheet is mapped and putover the underlying architectural drawing. A desired focal point on thesheet is placed on a desired point on the underlying architecturaldrawing, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 3.

A reference point, from where an object is referenced, can be selectedanywhere on the architectural drawing. The focal point 210 may beselected as the reference point. FIG. 4 illustrates the transparentplanar sheet overlaid on the architectural drawing. An object within thearchitectural drawing can be identified, and its location verified, bylocation within the grid and association of the designators in the grid.

The transparent planar sheet can also include templates. The templatescan be of geometrical shapes (squares, triangles, circles, ellipses,etc) are provided along one side, multiple sides, or at any area withinthe transparent sheet. The templates can also include architecturalshapes (trees, shrubs, structures, etc.). The geometrical shapes makethe markings more accurate. The different objects may be represented bycorresponding different geometrical shapes. For example, differentplants disclosed in the architectural drawing may be represented bydifferent geometrical or architectural shapes.

One or more squares can be used to accurately estimate the area enclosedby those squares. The area enclosed can be marked on the plastic sheetby a dry-erase marker or other transient marker used by a user. Based onthe marking, the square footage size is calculated. The transient markscan be made on the template on-site, and then brought back to the officefor overlay on a copy of the architectural drawings for tasks includingarea estimation and plan revisions.

The transparent sheet can also include a boundary that is printed orotherwise provided to at least a part of a peripheral region of thetransparent sheet, and can enclose all or some of the grid, templates,ruler or other components of the apparatus.

Although a few embodiments have been described in detail above, othermodifications are possible. Other embodiments may be within the scope ofthe following claims.

1. An apparatus comprising: a transparent planar sheet having at leastone squared corner; a grid imposed on at least one side of thetransparent sheet, the grid having an X axis and a Y axis originatingfrom the at least one square corner, each square in the grid beingassociated with a unique X-axis designator and a unique Y-axisdesignator; a ruler imposed on the transparent sheet for providing alinear scale; a plurality of apertures, provided in a center of at leasta portion of the squares of the grid; and a template section provided inan area of the transparent sheet, the template section providing aplurality of templates of geometrical shapes.
 2. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 further comprising: one or more focal pointsrepresented on the planar sheet associated with the grid, each of thefocal points being associated with a designator.
 3. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 1 further comprising: at least one first lineperpendicular to the X-axis and at least one second line perpendicularto the Y-axis, the intersection of the first line and the second linedefining a focal point.
 4. The apparatus in accordance with claim 1,wherein at least one line that forms the grid includes increment marks.5. An apparatus comprising: a transparent planar sheet having at leastone squared corner; a grid of squares imposed on at least one side ofthe transparent sheet, the grid of squares having an X axis and a Y axisoriginating from the at least one square corner, each square in the gridof squares being associated with a unique X-axis designator and a uniqueY-axis designator; and an aperture provided within each square of thegrid of squares, each aperture having an internal diameter of 0.5 to 1.5mm.
 6. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5, further comprising atemplate section provided in transparent sheet adjacent to the grid ofsquares, the template section having a plurality of traceable shapes. 7.The apparatus in accordance with claim 6, further comprising a rulerimposed on the transparent sheet adjacent to the grid of squares forproviding a linear scale.
 8. The apparatus in accordance with claim 5,further comprising at least one first line perpendicular to the X-axisand at least one second line perpendicular to the Y-axis, theintersection of the first line and the second line defining a focalpoint.
 9. The apparatus in accordance with claim 6, wherein thetraceable shapes include landscape elements.
 10. The apparatus inaccordance with claim 5, wherein the transparent planar sheet is made ofvinyl.